Bumblebee – Photo: L. Weikel

Two Visitors

While I worked at my laptop on the porch this morning, I entertained visits from two distinctly different creatures. One of my two visitors was beautiful, but terribly destructive and most unwelcome. The other was not only beautiful, but also singularly and adorably focused upon fulfilling its purpose of being a master pollinator, making it a most welcome and appreciated guest.

Little Bumblebee

I was delighted when the bumblebee you see in these photographs started immersing herself in the begonias hanging off the edge of our porch. These blooms have been – bar none – the best flowers to grace my porch probably ever. This particular hanging basket of creamy peach, brilliant orange, and dazzling yellow faces has consistently churned out blossom after blossom since early spring.

When this bumblebee showed up this morning, bouncing from one blossom to another, intently burying its head, thorax, and abdomen deep into the begonia’s sensuous petals, I grabbed my phone, hoping to get close enough to capture the intimacy of the moment.

As you can see, little bumblebee was more than happy to show me its best side and allow me to document its efforts to being the best pollinator in its age group. I was especially fascinated by the big blob of something sticking to one of its legs. It could be pollen, I suppose. But it actually looked, to me, like a part of the blossom’s plumbing.

Anyway, I was over the moon that bumblebee permitted me to get so close and capture some shots of it without seeming perturbed at all by my presence.

Unwelcome Intruder

As I stood on the edge of the porch marveling at the details I could see in my bumblebee photos, I felt something thwack onto my left shoulder. In fact, I could just barely see it in my peripheral vision, but I had a feeling I knew what it was – and I was not happy.

I flicked it onto the floor in front of me and – sure enough – it was a spotted lantern fly. UGH. Shocked and appalled at the audacity of this intruder to actually hurl itself onto my body, my loathing overrode my initial, natural inclination not to kill things. Knowing they are extremely quick to evade capture or death, and before I even thought twice, I stomped on it.

They don’t belong here. They’re killing our trees.

Within the span of five minutes I was graced with visits from two diametrically opposing creatures. One that spreads life and one that destroys it.

Not sure what I make of that. I wish I didn’t have to kill anything, but sometimes we’re forced to make choices we wish we didn’t have to make. I’ve asked them to leave, but they’ve insisted on remaining and going after our trees. They’re invasive and persistent.

So…it’s from this:

To this:

(T-444)